GAINESVILLE, Va. – Billy Hurley III took a few questions about his struggles on the golf course and his ties to northern Virginia before a PGA Tour official said Hurley had an announcement.

Fighting off tears, Hurley delivered the stunning news that his father, retired police officer Willard Hurley Jr., has been missing since July 19.

“Last Sunday, nine days ago, my dad took some clothes, he took some cash, he got in his truck and drove away and no one has heard from him since,” Hurley said Tuesday during a pre-tournament media availability at the Quicken Loans National. “No one really knows why. It’s complete speculation as to why he left.”

Willard Hurley, 61, lives in Leesburg, Virginia, where the younger Hurley grew up. The family home is about 25 miles north of Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, the site of this weeks’ tournament.

Lt. Jeffrey Dube, a Leesburg police spokesman, confirmed that Hurley’s mother filed a missing-persons report on Monday, and police are investigating.

“Right now, we have no reason to believe that there’s any suspicious circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” Dube said. “Everything points to that he left his residence on his own volition.”

Dube said the elder Hurley used a credit card to buy gas near Winchester, Virginia, on the day he left.

“Since then, we kind of ran into a brick wall,” he said.

Hurley said his father worked as a police officer in the area for a quarter-century and has been married to his mother for more than 30 years. He has no history of mental health problems, Hurley said.

Hurley said he decided to go public with his family crisis in hopes that someone who knows his father’s whereabouts will come forward. He decided to play this week because his father might watch on TV or check his score and decide to come home.

“Maybe, you know, a bartender who served him dinner sees this story on `Golf Central’ or whatever, and we can get a hit on his location or something,” Hurley said.

Hurley, a 33-year-old Naval Academy graduate, earned his PGA Tour card after serving as a Naval officer for five years.

He said he only found out on Monday that his father had disappeared.

“I’m just hopeful,” Hurley said. “This was a hard decision for my family to make to even make this public.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – David Hearn couldn’t beat 61 years of pressure, and he couldn’t beat Jason Day at the RBC Canadian Open.

Trying to be the first Canadian to win the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954, Hearn shot an even-par round and couldn’t keep up with the Aussie on Sunday. Day birdied the final three holes to win the RBC Canadian Open at 17 under, as Hearn finished two shots back in third place.

“It was one focused mind-set the whole day today to do something really special and win the tournament,” Hearn said. “It hasn’t been done in a long time, and I felt like I had the ability to do it today.

“I gave it my all. I didn’t quite have my best game.”

Hearn missed a handful of birdie putts so close that had the masses of fans lining Glen Abbey Golf Club letting out exasperated groans. Had he made even one of them, it would have changed his entire outlook on the 18th hole and given him a good chance.

The Brantford, Ont., native blamed not picking up enough birdies for falling short. During a weekend in which his tee shots were errant, Hearn’s putting got him to the final round but couldn’t get him over the hump.

“There was so many putts that he hit that should’ve fell in,” said playing partner Bubba Watson, who finished second at 16 under. “I don’t know how they stayed out.”

Day, who shot 4-under 68 Sunday, won the tournament with clutch birdie putts on his final three holes. Making his final putt from 21 feet on the 18th hole forced Hearn and Watson to need eagles just to tie for a playoff.

Day yelled so loud before the ball went in that he thought he threw his throat out. After tying for fourth at the British Open, the Aussie was beaming after his fourth PGA Tour victory.

“This must feel like what Tiger did for so many times, and it feels good,” Day said. “I’m going to try to do as much as I can and keep it the same and try and win.”

Part of his joy was the reception he received from Canadian fans, despite not being the home-country favourite.

“I’ve never felt so much at home, and I’m not even from Canada,” Day said. “I’m looking forward to coming back and defending the title here next year because I know that when I get here next year it’s going to be the same. It’s great to feel like a Canadian for a week.”

As Hearn left his post-tournament news conference, he quipped that next year will be the 62nd for questions about Fletcher, whose place in Canadian Open history is as the symbol of the nation’s homegrown drought.

Like Mike Weir in 2004, Hearn led going into the final round, and like Weir he didn’t get it done. Raving about the ovations he received all over the course, Hearn also conceded that the pressure was heavy on his shoulders.

“This one was pretty intense,” Hearn said. “I think every Canadian wants to see it so bad and we want to do it so bad that it does make it hard.”

Hearn birdied his first two holes before faltering with bogeys on holes 3 and 7. Missing putts by mere centimetres on 8 and 9 didn’t help.

After another bogey on 12, Hearn got a stroke back with a birdie on 13 but couldn’t make up any more.

Meanwhile, Day found some of his best golf of the week on the back nine. Watson birdied five of his final six holes to make a charge but couldn’t eagle 18.

Hearn finished third because of those shots by Day and his own mistakes. Maybe he wasn’t aggressive enough, he wondered, but he insisted he’ll remember “only good things” from this Canadian Open.

“I’m real proud of the way I played, and I’m really proud to be Canadian today,” Hearn said. “It was a pretty special day with all of the fans and the support that I had from beginning to finish.”

Hearn was not only gunning for history but his first PGA Tour victory. The 36-year-old lost in a playoff at the Greenbrier Classic in early July.

But he knew this was a special opportunity to go for it in Canada with so many fans watching on the course and at home.

“I never experienced anything like that before,” Hearn said. “I may never experience anything like that again. I hope I am, actually, in that situation again and I get that feeling again soon.”

Hearn believes a Canadian will win the Canadian Open at some point soon. Fourth-place finisher Jim Furyk agrees.

“It’s a matter of time,” said Furyk, who finished at 14 under. “There are so many good Canadian players. I feel bad Mike Weir never won this golf tournament. But Graham DeLaet, David, there are a bunch of fine young players, so I’m sure it’s going to happen.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – David Hearn is 18 holes from history.

Hearn leads the RBC Canadian Open by two strokes through three rounds and is in position to be the first Canadian to win the tournament since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

“This is something you dream of,” Hearn said. “I feel like I’m ready to step up to the challenge.”

Hearn, from Brantford, Ont., had five birdies and just one bogey Saturday to jump into the lead at 15 under.

World No. 3 golfer Bubba Watson and No. 10 Jason Day are tied for second, two shots back. Watson had birdies on three par-5s on the back nine Saturday, including No. 18.

“I’m right where I want to be,” Watson said. “I just wish the leader was a little closer to us.”

Day rebounded from a bogey on the 10th hole and double-bogey to birdie six of his final seven. In a tournament sponsored by RBC, Day has a connection, but he understands what the crowd wants in the final round.

“Obviously it’d be great to see a Canadian win, but I’m going to do my best to try and spoil that,” Day said. “We’re all out here to try and win a golf tournament.”

Americans Michael Putnam and Brooks Koepka are three back at 12 under, and world No. 7 Jim Furyk and Camilo Villegas are four back of Hearn at 11 under.

Hearn and Watson will play in the final group Sunday at Glen Abbey Golf Club. Despite having the lead, Hearn sees himself as the underdog.

“Hopefully I can make some birdies and David can beat Goliath,” he said.

Watson called himself “half-Canadian” because his wife, Angie, is from Pickering, Ont. He doesn’t see himself as a spoiler.

“Truthfully, let’s be honest: We don’t think about where somebody’s from,” Watson said. “All we think about is there’s a guy in front of us. I’ve got a couple family members (here). They’re going to pull for me, too.”

Hearn is the first Canadian to have a 54-hole lead at the RBC Canadian Open since Mike Weir in 2004. Weir led by three shots but lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Long before David Hearn moved to the top of the RBC Canadian Open leaderboard, Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Adam Svensson took advantage of pristine early morning conditions during his third round.

With the first tee time Saturday morning because an odd number of players made the cut, Svensson played 18 holes by himself. The Surrey, B.C., native shot a 5-under 67 to make a major move up the leaderboard at 7 under for the tournament.

“It was a little bit weird the first couple of holes,” Svensson said. “But I kind of got used to it. Just had a good rhythm all day and got off to a pretty good start. So I was pretty happy.”

Svensson, who’s tied for 26th going into the final round, had never golfed solo before in a tournament setting and called it a fun day. He had to be an early riser, though, teeing off at 7 a.m.

“I’m pretty much sleeping,” Svensson said. “But it was fun. It was fast, too, which I like.”

Svensson completed the round in 2 hours 59 minutes, at least 90 minutes shorter than a conventional PGA Tour event round. He was off the course more than three hours before the final groups teed off.

At 7 under, Svensson will have a playing partner for the final round of the RBC Canadian Open: American Brian Harman, who was second after two rounds before struggling.

Beyond Hearn’s heroics, it was a strong day Canadian Adam Hadwin, who shot 5 under to get to 8 under and a tie for 20th.

“The biggest thing has been my short game, my putting all week,” said Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. “I haven’t struck it extremely well or at least up to my standards just yet. But I’ve got it around the golf course, got it up-and-down when I needed to.”

Recent PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, moved to 3 under.

Amateurs Blair Hamilton and Austin Connelly shot 76 and 77 respectively. They made the cut but were designated “made didn’t finish” and won’t play Sunday. They will however share the Gary Coward Award as co-recipients of the Gary Cowan Award.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – David Hearn looked back from the 16th hole and knew fellow Canadian Graham DeLaet had withdrawn because his name wasn’t on the board anymore.

There’s no looking back now. While DeLaet is out with a thumb injury, Hearn celebrated “Red and White Day” at the RBC Canadian Open by shooting an 8-under 64 Friday to move to within three shots of leader Chad Campbell.

By getting to 11-under through two rounds, Hearn is in contention at the midway point and has a chance to be the first Canadian to win this tournament since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

“Today was a pretty awesome day,” Hearn said, decked out in red and white like many of the fans at Glen Abbey Golf Club. “I couldn’t be happier with where my game’s at and I’m excited about the weekend. If I keep doing what I’m doing, I feel good about my game.”

The Brantford, Ont., native is tied for third place with only Campbell (14-under) and Brian Harman (12-under) ahead of him.

Even with 36 holes left to play, Hearn expects to be nervous Saturday with the home fans watching his every swing closely and a 51-year drought on their minds.

“It’s definitely going to be a lot of attention,” Hearn said. “Everyone wants the Canadians to do well here like I do. I want to see a Canadian do well and win this tournament soon.”

Hearn is in by far the best spot of the six Canadians left in the field. Two amateurs also moved up the leaderboard in the second round.

Austin Connelly, who represented Canada at the Pan Am Games, shot a 7-under 65 to get to 6-under for the tournament. The 18-year-old noticed a drastic improvement from his first round.

“The main difference was I was hitting better quality iron shots,” said Connelly, a Dallas native whose father is from Nova Scotia. “I gave myself a lot more looks, and then whenever I did make a mistake, my short game saved me. I had a couple of really nice pitches and bunker shots.”

Blair Hamilton, a 21-year-old amateur from nearby Burlington, Ont., is right behind Connelly at 5-under after shooting a 4-under Friday.

DeLaet didn’t feel like he had a chance to make the cut with a left thumb injury hampering his game. The Weyburn, Sask., native doesn’t think the injury is too serious but was bummed it forced him out of the RBC Canadian Open.

“It hurts,” DeLaet said. “It’s an important tournament to me.”

With Mike Weir out for personal reasons, the Canadian star power took another major hit with DeLaet’s withdrawal. The pressure’s now on Hearn to carry the flag.

Hearn is trying to focus on the fundamentals of hitting fairways and greens and not think too much about history and what’s at stake.

“I’m not going to be able to win the golf tournament until Sunday afternoon, so I’ve got a lot of golf to go,” Hearn said. “It’s really hard. I haven’t been in this situation in the RBC Canadian Open before. …

“I feel like my game is in a good spot right now, and I have a chance to do something fun this weekend.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Chad Campbell didn’t feel like he was approaching history during the second round of the Canadian Open.

Rolling off birdie after birdie, Campbell missed the course record at Glen Abbey Golf Club by one stroke in shooting a 9-under-par 63. The bogey-free masterpiece gave him the tournament lead at 14-under.

“Never really felt like it was going to be a crazy round, which nine birdies, I’m definitely happy with it,” Campbell said. “Just solid play.”

Campbell’s understated assessment of his round had a lot to do with how it unfolded. The 41-year-old American didn’t sink any remarkably memorable shots but was consistent and didn’t make many mistakes.

“It’s kind of weird because it happened with the par-5s, knocking them on (the green) in two and two-putting,” Campbell said. “I made a couple long putts, which always helps.”

With some groups still left on the course, Campbell held a two-shot lead over Brian Harman and a three-shot lead over Johnson Wagner and Canadian David Hearn.

Like Campbell, Hearn didn’t have to do anything spectacular but still surged up the leaderboard with an 8-under 64.

“I felt really good about my game,” the Brantford, Ont., native said. “I hit a lot more greens, and my putter definitely got hot. Making those two birdies at the finish felt really, really good.”

After coming a putt away from winning the Greenbrier Classic earlier this month, Hearn is back to feeling good about his game after Friday’s performance.

“If I continue to keep playing the way I am, I know I have a chance,” he said. “I can’t control what Chad or any of the other players are going to do. But if I keep doing what I’m doing and stay focused on that, I like my chances.”

Campbell’s second round notwithstanding, the RBC Canadian Open looks wide-open going into the weekend. Harman came a three-putt and a “silly bogey” away from being right with Campbell, and 10th-ranked Jason Day is lurking at 10-under.

Day is coming off tying for fourth at the British Open, which didn’t wrap up until Monday. Fighting physical and mental fatigue, the affable Aussie recorded an eagle on the 18th hole on the way to contention.

Frustrated by a couple of bogeys, Day doesn’t anticipate fatigue getting to derail his RBC Canadian Open.

“I’m driving it great,” Day said. “I’d like to tune-up the iron shots, but overall I’m hitting it good. ”Biggest thing for me is still trying to get as much rest as possible, especially coming off last week so that I can stay mentally sharp.“

Canadian Graham DeLaet was feeling mentally sharp but physically couldn’t keep golfing. The left thumb injury he suffered on Thursday didn’t get better, so DeLaet withdrew after four holes Friday.

“When it all came down to it, I felt if I could compete and still hit the ball well, I probably would have kept going,” DeLaet said. “But I didn’t have any kind of golf game out there today, and then it was hurting.”

Among Canadians still in the field, amateur Austin Connelly was one stroke away from matching Hearn’s mark, shooting a 7-under 65. Connelly, who represented Canada in the Pan Am Games, is at 6-under through two rounds.

Fellow amateur Blair Hamilton is 5-under, and Adam Svensson is 4-under.

Ricky Barnes hit a hole-in-one on No. 4, winning a new BMW i8 in the process.

“It was a perfect 8-iron,” said Barnes, who’s 6-under. “I think the yardage was 165 into a little breeze, and it just landed right in the hole and never came out.”

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Robert Allenby has withdrawn from the RBC Canadian Open after splitting with his caddie in the middle of the first round, with a fan carrying his bag the rest of the way.

Allenby shot a 9-over 81 Thursday at Glen Abbey Golf Club and finished his round with the fan on his bag because, according to Canadian golf outlet Score Golf, Allenby and caddie Mick Middlemo had a blow-up over club selection.

Score Golf reported that Allenby and Middlemo got into a heated exchange at the 13th hole, the Australian’s fourth of the day, and at the 18th the caddie walked off the course.

Earlier this year, Allenby was involved in a strange off-course incident in Hawaii. In January, after missing the cut at the Sony Open, Allenby said he was robbed and beaten and needed help from a homeless woman.

“You think … that happens in the movie, not real life,” Allenby told The Associated Press at the time. “I’m just happy to be alive.”

Allenby posted a photo on his Facebook account showing a facial injury that he said came from being thrown in the trunk of a car.

“I don’t know what they hit me with between the eyeballs, whether a fist or a baseball bat,” he said then. “Whatever it was, it hurts.'”

Allenby returned to play later in January, saying he had “no memory” of what happened for over two hours that night in Hawaii.

The 44-year-old has missed the cut nine times and now withdrawn twice since that incident.

Golfers and caddies splitting midround is extremely rare, but not unprecedented.

Jessica Korda fired her caddie after nine holes during the third round of the 2013 U.S. Open, and caddie Michael Lawson walked off the course at the 2014 Barracuda Championship, leaving Brian Stuard to depend on the kindness of strangers.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Graham DeLaet’s tough. He’s a golfer.

The Weyburn, Sask., native injured his left thumb during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open but still finished his round and expects to keep playing Friday. Frustrated by the injury, DeLaet was glad to shoot even-par 72 Thursday to sit eight strokes off the lead.

“I was able to kind of grind away there at the end with a couple good birdies on 16 and 18,” said DeLaet, who was injured on the 12th hole and double-bogeyed No. 17. “We (tee) off tomorrow morning. As long as I feel healthy, if I can shoot 4- or 5-under, (I can) kind of just slowly kind of creep back in this tournament.”

DeLaet said he wasn’t able to move his hand back on drives and felt pain when he released on shots. That caused the ball to flare right, something he had to compensate for.

As for what’s next DeLaet guessed doctors would tell him to ice his hand and possibly give him some anti-inflammatory medication.

“This tournament means a lot to me,” he said. “Hopefully we can get it figured out.”

DeLaet is one of 16 Canadians in the field this week at Glen Abbey Golf Club. David Hearn and Adam Svensson were tied as the low Canadian at 3-under 69.

“Took advantage of the par-5s really nicely,” Hearn said. “I’m obviously not too happy I made bogey on the last there, but I’m still within reach of the leaders. I certainly didn’t play my way out of it.”

The same could be said for Svensson and Nick Taylor and Roger Sloan, who shot 2-under.

Taylor, who his first PGA Tour event in November at the Sanderson Farms Championship, noticed a little more fan support than in past events. But he considers the high expectations for Canadians in the Canadian Open a self-created thing.

“I think we pressure ourselves,” Taylor said. “We just really want to play well just for this tournament for the fans, being the one tournament a year in Canada. But it’s nothing but support that all the fans have given us. It’s more ourselves.”

A Canadian hasn’t won the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Vaughn Taylor felt fortunate to survive a boating accident last year. Emiliano Grillo felt fortunate to get into Canada in time to play the Canadian Open.

On Thursday, they made the most of morning tee times to claim spots at the top of the leaderboard. Grillo shot an 8-under 64 to take the RBC Canadian Open lead, while Taylor shot a 7-under 65 to tie Brian Harman for second after the first round.

Taylor is almost a year removed from his fishing boat capsizing on Lake Thurmond between South Carolina and Georgia. The 49-year-old who birdied eight holes at Glen Abbey Golf Club in the first round gained some perspective on his sport and life from the August 2014 accident.

“It still does,” Taylor said. “I kind of remind myself of it to say, ‘Hey, let’s not take this day for granted and make the most of it.”’

Taylor panicked in the water before swimming to safety. Grillo didn’t panic earlier this week when it looked like he wouldn’t be able to cross the border from the United States.

Grillo qualified for the RBC Canadian Open by finishing in the top 10 at the Barbasol Championship in Alabama, which he only did by picking up back-to-back birdies. After driving to Atlanta and flying to Buffalo, the 22-year-old Argentine didn’t have time to wait for the necessary work visa to get into Canada.

After he waited, border officials told Grillo just to pay for the visa and go. He followed up that “lucky” break with a bogey-free round to grab the lead.

“I played better on the back nine, which is harder, and the greens were drying out,” Grillo said. “I kept hitting some solid shots until the end of the round, and I made some good putts on the back nine.”

David Hearn and Adam Svensson tied for the best start by a Canadian player at 3-under 69. While a left thumb injury hampered Graham DeLaet during his even-par round, Hearn and Svensson are very much in contention.

“I played a solid round of golf, and that’s what I needed to do,” Hearn said. “If I can hit a few more greens tomorrow, I like my chances.”

Hitting the green might not be a problem, but getting the ball to stop could turn into one. Golfers reported Glen Abbey playing firm and fast, and with wind those are conditions conducive for shooting well under par.

But it wasn’t impossible, especially for those who finished before the sun dried out the course. Harman may be in the best spot moving forward with a Friday morning tee time because he went 7-under Thursday afternoon.

“I drove it well, I putted well,” Harman said. “Just had the one three-putt bogey, but other than that it was pretty clean.”

While Harman was near the top of the leaderboard, Robert Allenby was near the bottom with a 9-over 81. According to SCOREGolf, Allenby got into an argument with Mick Middlemo and fired him mid-round.

A fan carried Allenby’s bag the rest of the way.

Jason Day of Australian shot a 4-under par round and sits just four back.

Spectators were out in full force for the second Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in the past three years. Bubba Watson, whose wife Angie is from Pickering, Ont., got 20-30 tickets for family and friends and felt some extra love from the crowd because of his connection.

“I’ve gained a lot of friends because of my family up here,” said Watson, who shot 4-under. “At least I’ve got people watching me.”

RBC CANADIAN OPEN FRIDAY IS RED AND WHITE DAY
Friday, July 24 at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open is Red and White Day. Everyone coming to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., for the championship’s second round is encouraged to wear red and white to demonstrate their Canadian pride and to support the 16 Canadian players in the field for Canada’s National Open Championship.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – The stars of the PGA TOUR will take to Glen Abbey Golf Club for the 106^th playing of the RBC Canadian Open starting Thursday, July 23. The 2015 edition of Canada’s National Open Championship marks the 27^th time that the competition will be held at the historic club in Oakville, Ont.

Sixteen Canadians will take on Glen Abbey in an effort to end the 61-year gap between Canadians claiming the national title. Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn is excited for the opportunity to end the drought.

“Winning the RBC Canadian Open would mean a lot, without a doubt,” said Hearn. “Winning any PGA TOUR tournament would mean a lot. It just doesn’t happen that often. To be able to do it in Canada in front of everybody here would be the highlight of my career.”

Pat Fletcher was the last Canadian winner, having claimed victory in 1954 at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. The significance of an RBC Canadian Open champion from the host nation is not lost on Graham DeLaet.

“It would mean everything for me,” said the Weyburn, Sask., native. “This is a major for us. I couldn’t imagine what it would do. I know how much support and how much kids look up to us. Obviously (winning) would take it kind of to a new level, but we all want to win this. Not just for ourselves, but for everybody else who just wants to end (the drought).”

The Canadians in the field are not the only players hoping to emerge victorious at Canada’s only PGA TOUR stop. Bubba Watson, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, has a unique connection to Canada as the Florida native’s wife Angie hails from Toronto.

“Any tournament is a big win, but winning a national Open and an Open that is part of my family now – me being part of Canada, I guess you could say,” said the eight-time tour winner. “I’ve got two flags at the house, so it’s a big deal. It would be a great honour, but a big deal for the family, as well.”

The return to Glen Abbey also holds significance for Hunter Mahan. The Dallas native has fond memories from the 2013 RBC Canadian Open, where he held the 36-hole lead with a two-stroke advantage. Despite leading, he withdrew and tended to his wife who had gone into labour.

“It’s unfortunate that it had to happen at the time it did,” Mahan explained. “I was still playing so good, and this is a place that I do want to win at and be the RBC Canadian Open champion. It’s something I want to be, but it is what it is. It’s a great moment in my life. I still have great memories here, and hopefully will continue that play into this week.”

The field of 156 players will tee-off Thursday, each looking to earn their share of the US$5.8 million total purse. First and second round tee-times are available here.

GREENING THE 2015 RBC CANADIAN OPEN
This year’s RBC Canadian Open is set to be the greenest yet. RBC, Golf Canada and other partners and suppliers have come together to ensure that environmental best practices are again being implemented.

“We are committed to reducing the environmental impacts of the RBC Canadian Open every year,” said Brent McLaughlin, tournament director for the RBC Canadian Open. “Glen Abbey is a great foundation for our environmental initiatives, we have a solid track record of environmental programming here and the golf course has been certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary since 2004.”

Earlier this year, the 2014 RBC Canadian Open was recognized for its environmental initiatives and named as a winner of the Sustainability Challenge. For 2015, there are new initiatives that will help to divert more waste from landfill. Additional information regarding the key environmental initiatives at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open can be found here.